Artisan Spotlight: BrookeVanGory

by Brooke Heavey

Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio.

My name is Brooke, and I am the owner of Brooke Van Gory Designs. I am the loud, workaholic, tattooed, blue haired mommy to two boys and wife to an aspiring rock star. Aside from spending time with my kiddos, and husband, I live and breathe BVG. I am an Etsy transplant to Artfire, having settled happily into my Artfire studio more then a year ago.
Brooke Van Gory is the #1 selling custom handmade diaper bag on the market, and I hold a patent pending on my wetbag design as well. Not just for moms, my bags are stylish, functional, and hold an AMAZING amount of stuff, while feeling (and looking) like you are still carrying a purse! My theory is if you need to carry around a ton of stuff, you don’t have to look like a bag lady doing it.

If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?

The one thing that defines me is my ability to see the beauty in EVERY single design, and create items that do not one specific category.
Call me eclectic, but variety is the spice of life!

What role does your family play in your art?

My family is the REASON for my art. When my youngest was born, we decided to cloth diaper, and I needed a stylish way to carry all his fluff around, but not look like I was lugging around a suitcase. My business has grown because of the supportof all of my amazing customers, many of whom are now dear friends.  I am firm believer in the value of family not being blood-based, so

The Expedient Weekender or Diaper bag- completely custom

many of my customers become family to me. My company name is even based on my family! Brooke (that’s me!), (E)van is my older son, and Gory is my 3 year old! I run a completely family based company, and even on my very busy Facebook page, we discuss parenting issues, and help answer questions from other fans and parents.

Where do you live and what is it like?

I was born and bread in in the Chicago suburbs. There is no single place on this planet that I love more then Chicago. Our food is phenomenal, the downtown area is so full of life, music, sounds, and lights, it takes my breath away every time I am there. I am true midwest girl to the core.

Where did you learn your medium?

I am a self taught seamstress, though my mom also sews. I watched her growing up sewing clothing and toys for me, but I never really was interested. When I became a single mom, though, I decided to try making my own clothes, and then making clothing for OTHER people. Sewing is a craft that you learn by hit and miss. And boy did I have a TON of misses when I first started, but with each projject you complete, you just get beter and better. I also have taken a few intensive workshops to hone my pattern construction, and zipper instillation. Though for some reason, each workshop I take, I go right back to doing it MY way, because that is what works for ME.

What are your goals with your ArtFire studio?

My goal in my Artfire Studio is to build my sales, as well as bring more people over to Artfire as a venue. This is important to me, as I am SO deeply rooted in the DIY community, that I feel that purchasing handmade is essential for our economy’s growth. Eventually my line will expand, including more collaborations with other DIY artists on Artfire (I currently collaborate with The Biting Gnome, Rocky The Zombie, Brookiellen Designs, Krissi’s Art Studio to just name a few). I also love being a part of my Artfire Guild, and I am really excited with the different ways we as a collective group, are able to cross-promote. We all hope to have some pretty large events in the next few years!

How did you come to selling online?

In 2007, I started selling on Etsy. I was a member of the now defunct DIYScene, and was running another crafting board Crafting under the Influence, as well as being an administrator for Punk Rock Domestics. I *thought* I had my skills under my belt, and knew what I was doing. But I thought that maybe my sewing skills were not what the :general public” wanted? So I started off selling magnets, hair ribbons, and jewelry. I charged what I thought people would pay, NOT what my items were worth by a longshot. My first sale on Etsy was a set of pirate hair bows!

Then a few months later, I decided to sew. I started on slouch bags, and small pouches. The

Jardin Floral- The Glamour Case water resistant makeup pouch

pictures were horrible, and I still was not charging what my items were worth (A HUGE issue with most handmade sellers). I finally had made enough, and impressed my mom enough to get her to purchase me a serger to make my own clothes, and clothing to sell. I split my Crossbones Couture shop into the main shop, and an accessories shop, Crossbones Collateral. (YOU DO NOT need a serger to make sturdy, long-lasting clothing, but I digress….). So I started selling clothing! See the pattern here? I could not settle on one thing, I was hopping around, dipping my hands into different mediums. All I knew at this point was that I loved to sew, it was in my blood, and what my passion was.

In 2009 I gave birth to my second son, and started cloth diapering. It was around this time that I decided that I needed to re-create myself. I LOVE the alternative scene, and I totally rock a skull ANYTHING like no one’s biznuss. But I am also a hippie at heart (HELLO! Patchwork skirts
anyone?!?!?!) and realize that people are not all the same in their design choices. SO not only did I fold Crossbones Couture, and that “empire”, but I also switched directions. I decided there was a need to be filled in the cloth diaper world for functional diaper bags that has enough room for all that fluff, and I wanted my customers to have FULL access to all their design whims! SO all of my items are totally custom.

How did you come to find a home on ArtFire?

A little over a year ago, I decided to make the jump to Artfire full time, and leave Etsy behind. It has become really clogged , and the Artfire team had always been really helpful to me. I had talked to John a few times on Twitter, and over on my crafting forum, and I knew that Artfire was going to be the home for me. While I had amazing success on Etsy, I shut up shop, moved over here, and have been so happy since!

What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?

The best piece of advice I can give other artists is to find a need a fill it. And not just fill it, but will it YOUR way. Create something beautiful, that fills a need for others. And do what makes you happy.
Life is too short to be chained to doing something you hate. Put yourself out there, create something beautiful, and make this world a more magical place!

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 11:54 pm. It is filed under Artisan Spotlight and tagged with art, artfire, artisan, craft, Handmade. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.